Anti-splash guard for drinking receptacle



D. SPENCER Dec. 26, 1967 ANTI-SPLASH GUARD FOR DRINKING RECEPTACLE 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.

DEAN SPENCER INVENTOR. BY g Q ATTORNEYS Dec. 26, 1967 D. SPENCER3,360,160

ANTI-SPLASH GUARD FOR DRINKING RECEPTACLE Filed Dec. 21, 1965 2Sheets-Sheet 2 32 I 30 I I 33 I DEAN SPENCER INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,360,160 ANTI-SPLASH GUARD FOR DRINKINGRECEPTACLE Dean Spencer, 23615 Marine View Drive, Des Moines, Wash.98016 Filed Dec. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 515,320 Claims. (Cl. 22090.4)

This invention relates to a device for use with a drinkcontainingreceptable to preclude the liquid within the receptacle from splashingover the edge should the receptacle be subjected to sudden motion such,for example, as that which frequently occurs upon an airplane, ship orother moving vehicle.

In my issued US. Patent No. 3,313,447, I illustrate and describe twoembodiment of a device for the above purpose, each said embodiment beingso formed that when a user tilts the receptacle incident to drinkingtherefrom the drink which he receives is accumulated from severalstreams each flowing through a passage-way of limited volumetriccapacity. The passage-ways are characterized in that the flowing liquidtravels a path of alterations, which is to say that the ingress andegress ends of each passage-way are positioned out of alignment, andbetween these ends is caused to commingle with liquid from otherpassage-Ways. As a consequence of travelling this devious route, andmixing with liquid from other passage-ways, the accumulated issue has noopportunity to develop the splash-producing velocity which a shaking ofthe cup would otherwise produce.

The present invention has for its object to provide a device similar tothe device of my said prior application in the sense that the liquidoutflow available to a user is the accumulated issue from severallimited-volume passage-ways, but which permits the ingress and egressends of the passageways to be located either in or out of alignment andyet, in the circumstance of the drinking receptacle being subjected toan abrupt motion, functions to effectively preclude the liquid frombecoming subject to such an accelerated flow as would be apt to causespilling.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will appearand be understood in the course of the following description and claims,the invention consisting in the novel construction and in the adaptationand combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical sectionshowing in its operating position within a drinking cup a spill-proofingdevice embodying teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on line 22 of FIG. 1; and FIG. 3is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view drawn to an enlargedscale on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 and 6 are each a horizontal sectional view taken on a linecorresponding to that shown at 2-2 in FIG. 1 to show in plan two otherspill-proofing devices which embody teachings of the invention; and

FIGS. 5 and 7 are fragmentary transverse vertical sectional views drawnto an enlarged scale on the lines 5-5 of FIG. 4 and 7-7 of FIG. 6,respectively.

As with my said co-pending application, the present invention providesan annular disc which is removably inserted in a cup to occupy a planeparallel with the upper edge of the cup and spaced a moderate distancebelow such edge. The cup is denoted by the numeral 10 and desir-ablypresents a shallow circumferential groove 11 into which the disc issnapped.

The disc is intended to be a throw-away item. It need have little morethan paper thickness and can be formed 3,360,160 Patented Dec. 26, 1967ice from plastic, polypropylene for example, at a cost sufiiciently lowto permit profitable volume marketing at a fraction of a cent. Forclarity in illustration the thickness shown in the drawings for the wallof the device is exaggerated.

In each of the three embodiments which I have elected to illustrate thedisc presents a centrally apertured head wall, andthe outer perimeter ofthis head wall engages in the groove of the cup. The inner perimeterdesirably'curls downwardly toward the central opening.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the head wall 12 has a rim portion whichis provided along its entire margin with a multiplicity ofclosely-spaced radial notches 13. These notches have a fairly deeppenetration and give the outer perimeter of the disc a comb-likeappearance. At or about the inner limit of the produced teeth a skirt 14depends from the underside of the head wall concentric to the centeropening 15. The skirt is made more or less cylindrical in shape so thatthe chamber 16 which is defined between the skirt and the sloping wallof the cup expands upwardly. The length of the skirt is such that itslower edge is in touching or near-touching relation to the wall of thecup, and such lower edge presents a series of notches 18 which are ormay be much the same in point of their number, width and depth as thenotches 13. Upon a tilting of the cup, so as to drink therefrom, liquidwithin the cup passes through the chamber 16, entering through thenotches 18 and leaving through the notches 13. The restriction providedby such ingress and egress openings meters the flow and, in conjunctionwith the expanding nature of the chamber which lies therebetween,effectively controls surges which may occur in consequence of waveaction or pressure generated in the cup. Perforations could perforce beused in lieu of the notches.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 likewise provides an expandingsurge chamber with restricted openings for metering flow of liquid toand from the same. In this instance the disc is made hollow so that thechamber, denoted by 20, surrounds the center opening 21. The upper andlower walls 22-23, respectively, which define the chamber are perforatedand may be formed from separate sheets of expanded or open-cell plasticstock, molded to shape and bonded along the inner and outer margins.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the disc somewhatresembles the FIGS. 1-3 embodiment to the extent that a cylindricalskirt, here denoted by 30, depends from the head wall 31. An upwardlyexpanding chamber 32 is defined between this skirt and the side wall ofthe cup. The skirt is sodimensioned that its lower edge does not contactthe wall, and thus provides a circumscribing narrow slit 33 which servesas the constricted access throat to meter the liquid which enters thechamber. The head Wall could have a radially slotted rim like or similarto that provided for the FIG. 1-3 embodiment but as here shown obstructsthe outflow of liquid only by a lip 34 which somewhat overhangs thechamber. Tabs 35 projecting radially beyond said lip engage in thegroove 11 of the cup.

The embodiments which are here illustrated are only three of aconsiderable number of designs which I have experimentally establishedto be practical. I find that a metering of the flow both into and fromthe surge chamber is more advantageous than a design (FIGS. 6 and 7)Where the restriction is limited largely to the inflow, and that themost satisfactory arrangement is one in which the metering is performedby narrow slots or clusters of small-diameter holes. These experimentsshow that a placement of the egress openings so as to be out of verticalalignment with the ingress opening is not necessary but that it does addto the effectiveness of the design.

It is my intention that no limitations he implied and that the heretoannexed claims be given the broadest interpretation to which theemployed language fairly admits.

What I claim is:

1. In a structure for the described purpose, in combination with adownwardly tapering receptacle open at the top and used for drinking aliquid contained in the receptacle, a disc fitting in said open end ofthe receptacle, the disc being formed with a head wall which bears by arim portion thereof against the interior wall of the receptacle andhaving an annular skirt depending from the head wall in inwardly spacedrelation to said bearing rim concentric and parallel with the axial lineof the receptacle, thus converging toward the tapered wall of thereceptacle and with the latter providing an upwardly expanding spaceexteriorly of the skirt, said space acting as a surge chamber throughwhich liquid passes when a user tilts the receptacle incident todrinking therefrom, the disc being so formed that openings are providedalong both the bottom and the top of the disc throughout thecircumference thereof for the inflow of liquid to the chamber and theoutflow therefrom to the user, the structure being characterized in thatthe amount of liquid which flows to the user upon a normal tilting ofthe receptacle has substantial volume but represents the accumulation ofa considerable number of streams entering the chamber which individuallysupply only a miniscule fraction of such accumulation.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the liquid issues from thechamber through a multiplicity of openings each so restricted as toindividually pass only a miniscule fraction of the accumulation.

3. The structure claimed in claim 1 in which the lower edge of the skirtapproximately touches the interior wall of the receptacle and whereinthe inflow and outflow openings are each comprised of closely spacednarrow notches the former formed in the lower edge of the skirt and thelatter formed in the bearing edge of the head walls rim portion.

4. The structure claimed in claim 1 in which an annular slit is providedbetween the lower edge of the skirt and the interior wall of thereceptacle for said inflow of liquid to the surge chamber.

5. The structure claimed in claim 1 in which the disc has a ring shapewith the head wall curled downwardly about the center opening which saidring shape produces.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 562,440 6/ 1896 Vandersall220-90.2 1,137,462 4/1915 Clark 22090.2 1,739,627 12/1929 Austin 22090.22,623,368 12/1952 Olsen 220-904 2,761,301 9/1955 Tellier 220-9043,143,257 8/1964 Mumford 222-547 RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A STRUCTURE FOR THE DESCRIBED PURPOSE, IN COMBINATION WITH ADOWNWARDLY TAPERING RECEPTACLE OPEN AT THE TOP AND USED FOR DRINKING ALIQUID CONTAINED IN THE RECEPTACLE, A DISC FITTING IN SAID OPEN END OFTHE RECEPTACLE, THE DISC BEING FORMED WITH A HEAD WALL WHICH BEARS BY ARIM PORTION THEREOF AGAINST THE INTERIOR WALL OF THE RECEPTACLE ANDHAVING AN ANNULAR SKIRT DEPENDING FROM THE HEAD WALL IN INWARDLY SPACEDRELATION TO SAID BEARING RIM CONCENTRIC AND PARALLEL WITH THE AXIAL LINEOF THE RECEPTACLE, THUS CONVERGING TOWARD THE TAPERED WALL OF THERECEPTACLE AND WITH THE LATTER PROVIDING AN UPWARDLY EXPANDING SPACEEXTERIORLY OF THE SKIRT, SAID SPACE ACTING AS A SURGE CHAMBER THROUGHWHICH LIQUID PASSES WHEN A USER TILTS THE RECEPTACLE INCIDENT TODRINKING THEREFROM, THE DISC BEING SO FORMED THAT OPENINGS ARE PROVIDEDALONG BOTH THE BOTTOM AND THE TOP OF THE DISC THROUGHOUT THECIRCUMFERENCE THEREOF FOR THE INFLOW OF LIQUID TO THE CHAMBER AND THEOUTFLOW THEREFROM TO THE USER, THE STRUCTURE BEING CHARACTERIZED IN THATTHE AMOUNT OF LIQUID WHICH FLOWS TO THE USER UPON A NORMAL TILTING OFTHE RECEPTACLE HAS SUBSTANTIAL VOLUME BUT REPRESENTS THE ACCUMULATION OFA CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF STREAMS ENTERING THE CHAMBER WHICH INDIVIDUALLYSUPPLY ONLY A MINISCULE FRACTION OF SUCH ACCUMULATION.